Permobil has acquired MAX Mobility, manufacturer of power-assist systems for manual wheelchairs.

In a Dec. 27 announcement, Larry Jackson, president of Permobil Business Region Americas, said, “We are excited to welcome MAX Mobility to the Permobil family. The addition of power-assist technology to our portfolio greatly expands our offering and will provide an independent mobility solution for our users globally.”

MAX Mobility, headquartered in Antioch, Tenn., manufactures SmartDrive, a system that easily attaches and detaches from manual wheelchairs to provide propulsion assistance when needed.

MAX Mobility CEO Mark Richter noted in the announcement, “Almost three out of four manual wheelchair users have shoulder pain already. By becoming part of Permobil and adding power assist to the portfolio, we can expand our reach and reduce shoulder pain for users globally.”

Richter added he would be joining Permobil “as the Senior Group Innovation Advisor working across the Power, Manual and Seating and Positioning portfolios.”

MAX Mobility is the latest acquisition for Permobil, which announced the acquisition of Comfort Company in October 2017 and the acquisition of Prairie Seating in January 2017. Permobil currently employs 1,600 people in 17 countries.